Mr Medinsky's ministry confirmed he had spoken to the director, but denied issuing a "ban."

"Yes there was a long conversation with Urin," Irina Kaznacheeva, a spokeswoman for the culture ministry said in a statement. "But a ban is the not the ministry's working style."

Rudolf Nuryev was one of the most celebrated ballet dancers of his generation. In 1961 he became was one of the first acclaimed Soviet artists to defect to the West, where he had successful career - and a turbulent love life including a string of gay relationships - until his death in 1993.

Russia's "gay propaganda" law was introduced in 2013. It bans any event or act judged to the promote homosexuality to under 18s, and has been used to ban gay rights marches.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled last month that the law is discriminatory and breaches the European convention on human rights.